


We Meet Like This At Least Once

by ObscureReference



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Holidays, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 00:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12876054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: Owain wouldn’t. It wasn’t his place to suggest Xander do anything, really. He was Leo and Niles’ friend first and foremost. Not someone who was in a position to tell Xander to relax or fuss over him the way Inigo or Camilla could, even if he wanted to be.He buried that thought the way he’d buried the other, similar thoughts for the past few years and focused on the now.





	We Meet Like This At Least Once

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering why the heck I wrote a Xander/Owain (or Odin or whatever you want to call him) fic, it's because I'm a huge rarepair shipper and somebody sent me an ask the other day that had me thinking about the Xander/Odin Gay Fates Hack, which was very good. I really loved it. So even though this has no basis in canon, I really wanted some Xander/Odin fic. Sometimes you have to be the change you want to see in the world. Also I need practice writing Xander.
> 
> This is a modern au, so I assume there are some basic things that are unlike canon, such as Owain using the name "Owain" rather than "Odin," as do the other FE13 characters. All the characters speak a little more modernly as well, though I tried to keep most of their base characteristics in tact. I hope I did an adequate job. There will be some more notes at the bottom, but for now I hope you enjoy this fic!

“I have returned with the requested ingredients!” Owain announced, swinging the front door open with one hand, grocery bag in the other. “Now we may commence preparing tonight’s celebrations!”

“Thank you, Owain,” Camilla said dryly, looking up from her book. “Now we won’t have to contend with starving to death tonight.”

That had never been an option and everyone knew it, but Owain grinned at her determinedly anyway. “You are welcome, fair maiden.”

She laughed. Owain was mostly sure it wasn’t mean.

Inigo walked in behind him and shut the door with his foot. He held grocery bags in both hands, and he shot Owain a look as he passed.

“Thanks for grabbing the other bag,” he said flatly. “I really appreciate it.”

Owain followed him into the kitchen to set the groceries on the table. Flora nodded at them from the sink, and Owain nodded back.

“There were only three bags,” he said to Inigo. “Two of them were in your lap when we pulled up.”

Inigo sniffed. “You abandoned me.”

“One of those bags just has seasoning in it.” They weren’t very large boxes either.

Inigo stared at him. Owain stared back. They broke into a fit of giggles after only a beat, and when they wandered back into the living room, Camilla was looking at them expectantly from the couch.

“Xander just got home from work, by the way,” she said. “He’s freshening up in his room right now, Inigo. Owain, Leo is upstairs. I don’t know where Niles has gone.”

“Thanks,” Inigo said, and Owain absently echoed him.

Xander was home, and Owain had a hard time disguising his delight. Today had been the last day of work Xander had for a while, despite the fact Inigo and Owain had been home for the holidays for a weak and a half now. The festivities were practically right on top of them, and Xander had yet to take a day for himself, just like every year. But finally the office was closed.

Granted, Xander would probably try to do some work while he was home anyway, but hopefully Elise or somebody else would be able to corral him into actually relaxing.

Owain wouldn’t. It wasn’t his place to suggest Xander do anything, really. He was Leo and Niles’ friend first and foremost. Not someone who was in a position to tell Xander to relax or fuss over him the way Inigo or Camilla could, even if he wanted to be.

He buried that thought the way he’d buried the other, similar thoughts for the past few years and focused on the now.

Camilla had picked up her book again, but at that same moment Severa came bounding through the door, shaking snow from her long hair. Her boots were wet with slush. Camilla’s book was immediately abandoned as the woman herself stood up to greet Severa.

Inigo wandered off without a comment, presumably to unwind in his room after spending the last hour at the crowded store with Owain, which wasn’t odd. He, Owain, and Severa had been wandering over to the Nohr’s house for so long now it practically felt like their home as well. They were using guest rooms for the holidays, but those rooms were practically the trio’s second bedrooms as well. This wasn’t the first holiday season they’d spent with the Nohr family by a longshot.

Since the errands were finished, Owain busied himself that afternoon by saying hello to Corrin and popping into Leo’s room to see if there was anything more to be done. He’d dropped his new manuscript off with Leo a few days previously, when he’d first arrived. Leo had yet to be finished with the new copy, but Owain had been making edits along the way. They spent over an hour debating about the necessity of a certain side character whom Owain insisted was vital to the story while Leo insisted they were distracting. The debate ended in a stalemate to be continued later, mostly because Leo got a headache from looking at the same three paragraphs for so long. So Owain left him be and wandered downstairs.

He found Felicia in the living room and spent another hour helping her untangle strings of lights from one of the boxes she’d dug out of the basement. That is, Felicia was tangled in the lights and Owain helped unwind her.

There were glimpses of others, of course. Inigo wandered from his bedroom to the hallway bathroom at some point, looking as though he’d just woken up from a nap. Elise was either mumbling to herself or talking into the phone behind her closed bedroom door. Either way, she sounded quite determined, and Owain smiled with the knowledge that she was probably working on last minute presents. Severa had disappeared into Camilla’s room, and Flora had gestured for Beruka to follow suit when she’d showed up in the front hall.

Flora didn’t need help in the kitchen because Peri was already assisting in there; he wasn’t sure how they got along or if they did at all, but there was no denying how well they cooked together. He may have seen Jakob at one point, but the butler was gone in a flash. Owain settled for making writing notes in his phone for a while and then for laying on top of Leo after the other man kept trying to read his law textbooks instead of taking a break.

“Ugh, get off,” Leo complained. He was a little taller than Owain, but he didn’t have Owain’s strength. “You’re crushing me.”

“Nooo,” Owain moaned. He shoved his hands under Leo’s stomach and ignored Leo’s yelp about how they were too cold. “You need to relax.” He paused. “And a blanket. You’re _freezing_.”

“ _You’re_ freezing,” Leo grumbled, sounding childish. Owain didn’t budge. Leo gradually stopped squirming as Owain’s hands began to warm up. Then he went right back to squirming when Niles peered in through the doorway.

“Oh, I see,” Niles said, his voice low. “It seems you two wanted to have some _fun_ without dear old Niles.” He placed a hand over his heart, feigning wounded. “Honestly, I’m hurt.”

“No, no, no,” Leo said. His face was half hidden in the sheets, and he struggled to push himself up. He failed. “It’s not whatever you’re thinking. Owain, get off of me.”

But it was too late. Niles was already making his way towards the bed.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not opposed to sharing.”

Owain was beginning to rethink this game, but there was no time to move. Niles didn’t quite jump on top of them, but it was close. His weight was like an anvil on Owain’s back and Leo, who lay under them both, had the air audibly knocked out of him as Niles settled on top of them.

Leo wheezed like a dying man. “Can’t… breathe…”

Owain pressed his cheek to Leo’s head. He felt Niles’ chin on the top of his own head in return. “We’d be honored to die with you.”

“You’re…” Leo struggled to breathe. “Awful.”

He obviously couldn’t take much more, so Niles and Owain both rolled off of him. Leo breathed in deeply and—dare Owain say it—overly dramatically.

Niles, now lying next to Leo, wrapped his arms around Leo’s shoulders and pressed their faces together affectionately.

Leo looked at him sideways. “Niles—”

“Poor Leo,” Niles said. “Always getting the short end of the stick. If you wanted, I could give you a _real_ —"

“—your face is too close,” Leo finished. He looked to Owain for help. Owain, whose ass was growing cold after Niles had shoved him to the floor to make room on the bed, stifled a laugh into his palm.

Leo made a disgruntled noise while Niles nuzzled closer. Owain climbed back into the bed, preparing to slyly grab a pillow and shove it over Niles’ face when a cough from the doorway drew their attention.

“Good evening,” Xander said when their heads all snapped in his direction. If he wondered why they were in a tangle on his brother’s bed, Niles and Leo so close they were almost one and Owain with only one foot on the floor, reaching for the sheets, he hid his curiosity well.

Actually, Owain corrected, Xander probably didn’t think about their tangle at all. He’d known Owain and Niles for over a decade and had known Leo his whole life, after all.

“Inigo and Elise said it was time to gather in the living room,” Xander said. “I believe they plan on roping us into some games. For ‘family bonding,’ they said.” The corner of his mouth twitched upwards and then just as quickly smoothed over into a neutral expression.

“Thank you for telling us,” Leo said, pretending Niles hadn’t begun tickling his sides. Leo was notoriously not ticklish, so Niles’ finger wiggling was mostly for show. “We’ll be down momentarily.”

Xander nodded. The sound of his fading footsteps echoed as he disappeared from their sight.

The moment he was gone, Niles turned to stare in Owain’s direction, wordlessly daring him to make a move, and Owain sadly gave up on hitting him with the pillow. He sat on the edge of Leo’s bed while Leo began to fix his ruffled hair and clothes in the mirror. Niles stood over his shoulder to whisper something Owain wasn’t really paying attention to.

Part of him wished he could have done something to impress Xander somehow—or had even spoken to Xander at all, since this was perhaps the first opportunity to see Xander firsthand since he’d arrived—but a larger part of him acknowledged that there was no way to change how Xander perceived him at this point. They’d known each other too long.

Xander had looked healthy, at least, and that was good news. Last year around this time he’d had circles around his eyes. He looked good.

They made their way downstairs after Elise ran to scold them for getting distracted. The living room was large, but even with Felicia and Flora still shuffling around in the kitchen with Jakob, it felt crowded. Leo claimed the last remaining seat—a leather armchair—and Niles perched on the arm of said chair just in time for Jakob to turn the corner and stare at him disapprovingly.

Admittedly, Owain was tempted to sit on the other arm of Leo’s chair, but then he saw the empty space on the floor between Xander and Inigo’s feet. He guiltily indulged the selfish part of himself by settling between them. Most of the other seats in the room were taken anyway, and Beruka was also sitting at the foot of Camilla’s seat, so it wasn’t like he stood out. No more than usual, anyway.

Owain tilted his head up to smile at Inigo, pointedly not looking in Xander’s direction. If Inigo could tell he’d sat next to him with ulterior motives, he only grinned back. Owain had never spoken about his crush to anyone outside his parents; it had never felt right.

“Did you get enough beauty sleep, Inigo of the Indigo Skies?” Owain asked, raising his voice to be heard over the rumble of the crowd.

Inigo winked. “Of course. I can’t risk looking less than ideal, after all. Not with all these lovely ladies around.”

He looked over to Severa, who sat in Camilla’s lap with her legs thrown over the side of their chair, and blew a kiss. She mimed catching it and ripping it apart in midair. Inigo looked back at Owain sadly.

“Alas,” he said. “Perhaps I should have slept some more.”

Owain frowned worryingly. “I’m not sure that would be wise. The drool stain on your chin is already large enough, I’m afraid.”

Inigo sputtered, frantically wiping at his chin with his sleeve. Somewhere over his other shoulder, Owain was rewarded with Xander’s chuckle, which sounded low in his chest.  He didn’t look in Xander’s direction, too afraid the warmth on his cheeks would show his true feelings. It was practically easy to ignore his feelings by this point.

Else clapped to get their attention, having climbed up on the table while Owain wasn’t looking. “Okay, everyone! Let’s get started! What game should we play first?”

“Is there a game that can include this many people?” Corrin asked. “There are quite a lot of us…”

This was long since a familiar debate, and Owain looked forward to it every year.

Arthur, who Owain had also failed to notice in the corner, said, “Charades would be—”

“Hard pass,” Severa said flatly. Beruka nodded in agreement.

Jakob sniffed. “I hope none of you are suggesting you go outside. I would hate for anyone to catch a cold, which is likely in this kind of weather.”

He said “anyone” but he obviously meant Corrin. Owain couldn’t remember the last time Corrin had caught a cold, but it was certainly in Jakob’s character to worry about such a thing.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Leo pointedly asked. “Some work to be doing?”

Corrin sighed loudly as Leo and Jakob glared at one another.

The debate went on for several minutes, and it ultimately descended into a conversation of “Do you remember when…” instead of any games, just as it did every year. For once Owain was not the loudest in the room, as everyone began to raise their voices to be heard over one another.

“A snowball fight would be fun,” Arthur hedged.

Camilla said, “I’m afraid I’m not dressed in snow appropriate clothing.” Which meant she didn’t want to get slush all over her probably new boots. Owain could appreciate the need for proper aesthetic and attire, at least.

“Even if we did have a snowball fight, my team would come out on top anyway,” Severa added.

Effie stared in the direction of the kitchen. “Shouldn’t we just eat if we can’t agree on anything?”

“Do we have a pack of cards?” Niles asked.

Inigo wrinkled his nose. “You’re only suggesting that because you have such a good poker face, aren’t you?”

“Unlike you,” Niles agreed, sounding smug.

Inigo rolled his eyes good-naturedly and nudged Owain’s shoulder with his knee. “Remember last time? He cleaned house.”

“Not for me,” Owain said. “I know better than to bet anything against Niles.”

Inigo sighed melodramatically. “Then you are wiser than I, my friend.”

“I would not particularly mind a game of cards,” Xander said, speaking up for the first time in a while. Owain turned away from Inigo to look at him. Xander sat relaxed in his seat, his face a bit pensive. “Though I suspect Elise wants to play something a little more energetic.”

They both glanced over to where Elise was talking animatedly with Corrin in the corner. A small smile blossomed on Xander’s face.

“I suspect you’re right,” Owain said.

“All this talk of last year reminds me of other years as well.” Xander’s gaze drifted from Inigo’s face to Owain’s. “Do you recall the first time we met? I believe it was around this time of year then too.”

Memories weren’t an odd topic for this time of year, but this particular comment struck Owain as a bit out of the blue, and he blinked in surprise. Xander was looking at Owain as though he were waiting for a response from him directly, however, so Owain thought back.

“Was it?” Inigio asked. He looked just as surprised as Owain felt.

“It was,” Owain said slowly. The memory trickled back to him. “It was almost winter break, wasn’t it?”

Xander nodded, looking pleased.

Owain glanced over to Inigo. “I don’t know where you were,” he said. “But I remember… Aunt Maribelle was taking Brady away for practically the whole break. That was the winter Cynthia broke her leg, remember?” Inigo’s face lit up with recognition, and Owain grew more confident in the memory. “She was bedridden for weeks. I knew I’d be alone all winter if I didn’t do something, so I approached Leo and Niles.”

“Who you had seen at the park,” Xander agreed, and Owain nodded. They had gone to different school districts, and it was only by chance he’d occasionally seen Leo and Niles at the playground, waiting for someone else to pick them up while Owain walked home. He’d approached them with the self-assurance of a child who didn’t know when he wasn’t wanted and insisted they all become good friends so Owain wouldn’t be alone over the break.

To be fair, it had resulted in one of the best friendships of his life.

Niles may have pushed him into the dirt at least once before he agreed to let Owain join them though.

Inigo cocked his head. “I think I remember that winter. Where was I again?”

“You would have rather broken your leg like Cynthia than be seen with me back then.”

Inigo winced but rebounded quickly. “Don’t pretend you were any different.”

Owain laughed.

“True,” he said. “You were probably at the dance studio with your mom.”

“Probably,” Inigo echoed, sounding like he couldn’t quite remember. It had been years since then; the memory was only significant to Owain because it had been the start of his friendship with Leo and Niles. It had been a long time since he’d thought about it though.

“Do you remember how you met me?” Xander asked.

Owain thought about it and drew a blank. “Was it that same winter?”

It must have been; Leo was never far from his family, not then and not today. It had probably been Xander or Camilla picking him and Niles up from the park most days anyway.

“Yes,” Xander said, sounding amused. “You must have been about six years old. I was ten. It was our first meeting, and when I held out my hand to greet you, you stared instead of shaking my hand. Do you recall what you said to me?”

Absently, Owain saw Leo lean in from the corner of his eye and heard him ask, “What are we talking about?”

“First meetings,” Inigo answered.

“The first thing Owain said to Xander?” Niles repeated. “Interesting.”

Owain ignored them.

“Ah, I don’t particularly recall, no,” he said, feeling suddenly nervous. This feeling was not helped by the intrigued look on Leo’s face, nor the pleased look on Niles’ that said he remembered this instance quite clearly.

“’Are you a prince? How many evil wizards have you killed?’” Xander recounted. “That’s what you asked me.”

Everyone listening burst into laughter, and those who had not been began to look over at their group in interest. Even Owain had to laugh. It was exactly the type of memory that his mother would have teased him about and exactly the type of child he’d been.

Xander continued, “You were quite disappointed when I told you I had fought zero.” He paused for a moment, and when the laughter died down some more, he added, “You never did tell me why you thought I was a prince.”

Owain didn’t remember his first meeting with Xander; at least, not the same way he remembered the suspicious look on Leo’s face and the jealous sneer on Niles’ when he first approached them. But he could definitely recall all the other times he’d seen caught sight of Xander while playing with Leo, and he could make a guess at what he’d thought.

Even at age ten, Xander had been handsome to Owain’s childish eyes. There had been countless times he’d suggested they go somewhere where they needed supervision or had spoken even louder than normal just because he wanted Xander’s eyes on him. Despite being a child, Xander had held himself in such a way that Owain had apparently instantly identified as princely; he probably would have made the same mistake today had they been strangers. It was no wonder his younger self had gotten confused.

Owain’s crush on Xander was a longstanding one and had never particularly faded, even during the long months Owain was away at college and his only interaction with the Nohr family besides Leo were the brief, periodic updates Leo told him from time to time. Owain’s feelings hadn’t changed in over a decade, despite the separation. They had only gotten stronger, really. Owain had just gotten better at suppressing them as well. 

Xander shifted in his seat almost absently, and his knee bumped against Owain’s shoulder. It stayed there, and Owain had to remind himself it was accidental, lest he get himself worked up over something as simple as a touch.

He shrugged, smiling carelessly, his face warm. “I have no idea what I thought. I’d have to go back in time and ask myself the same thing.”

He wasn’t sure what to make of the look on Xander’s face. He was a hard man to read sometimes.

Inigo tapped his chin in thought. “Was that the same winter the roof of the studio fell in and we found all the shortcuts the builders had taken when they constructed the place?”

Owain took the out. “Was it?”

The subject drifted away from Owain after that, and he was grateful for it, as exhilarating as it had been to have Xander’s full attention for a brief moment. Owain stayed for another few minutes and then took the first lull in the conversation to clear his head.

“I’m going to get some air,” Owain said to nobody in particular and didn’t wait for a reply before he shrugged on his jacket and stepped out onto the porch. The conversation picked up just as he walked out.

He breathed in, tasting the crisp, sharp air and wondering if it would be better to find a new seat when he went back inside. He was surprised to hear the door open behind him, and when he turned to look, he was even more surprised to see Xander standing there.

“I hope you don’t mind me joining you,” Xander said in greeting. He looked up at the gray sky and smiled softly. “I quite like the snow, you know.”

Owain remembered. When they were younger and he and Niles had made a game out of dragging Leo outside on cold afternoons, Leo protesting all the while, Xander had often stood on the steps and watched. Owain had thought it was to make sure they didn’t go running out into the street or break a window with a block of ice until Leo casually mentioned that winter was Xander’s favorite season. Owain had begun to look at Xander, who often stood by as they built snow forts and occasionally threw a snowball at Leo’s head whilst feigning innocence, differently after that.

He blinked, breaking himself away from the memory. “It’s fine.” He smiled. “This is your house, after all.”

“And you are our guest,” Xander said, coming to stand next to Owain. “So your comfort and wants should be respected as well as mine.” He tilted his head. “Though it feels almost as though you live here was well, what with the amount of time you spent with Leo and Niles when we were younger. I almost couldn’t believe how quiet the house became after you moved.”

It hadn’t been unheard of for Niles and Leo to visit Owain’s house, especially when he was feeling too down or sick to make the trip himself, but most of Owain’s middle and high school years especially had been spent at the Nohr house. When Brady and Cynthia were too busy with clubs and projects to hang out, Owain’s mother had always known where to find him. 

“What can I say?” Owain teased. “Your family is very hospitable. And Leo and Niles are good friends.”

Xander hummed. “Just friends?”

“Excuse me?” Owain wasn’t sure he’d heard right.

Xander wasn’t looking at him. A beat passed, and then he shook his head. When he breathed out, a puff of white appeared in front of his mouth. “Pardon me. It was just a thought.”

Owain looked between him and the front yard. Eventually he shoved his hands in his pockets and settled on watching the cars pass. “If you say so.”

It definitely felt like there was more to say there, but he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to press the issue. So he didn’t.

A moment of silence passed between them. All was quiet, save for the occasional passing of a car and Xander breathing beside him. There was a gap between their bodies, but it was small enough that Owain thought he could feel the heat radiating from Xander’s arm. That could have been wishful thinking.

Dimly, he was aware of the sound of laughter from inside the house, the telltale clinking of dishes as somebody set the table.

It was a peaceful moment. Owain wanted it to last.

“I read your book,” Xander said casually, startling Owain. “The one you left on Leo’s desk. I hope you don’t mind. Leo said you wouldn’t.”

Owain’s heart leapt. It wasn’t a secret that Leo was helping him edit his book, but... “You did?”

“Yes.” Xander smiled again, turning away from the snow to look at Owain directly. “It was quite good.”

Owain had dropped the newest copy of his work off with Leo right after he’d come home for winter break. That was the copy that had been left on Leo’s desk. Had Xander been reading it this whole time? It was a thick manuscript, and Owain remembered hearing that Xander had been working late every night that week until today; had Xander been sneaking passages right under Owain’s nose? When had he found the time?

“I had always been intrigued to know what you had been writing,” Xander said. “But you and Leo always seemed so focused whenever it came up that I never got the chance to see it in-depth. It was almost chance I saw the copy you left with Leo the other day.”

He blew on his hands and then placed them in his pockets. “I hope you’re alright with it,” he said again. “I very much enjoyed reading it.”

For a moment Owain’s heart was elated with the praise. It had been a while since Owain had shared his work with anyone new—the editing process took a lot of time and too many things tended to change between drafts—and the compliment seemed all the better coming from Xander, who was so often reserved. Owain opened his mouth to say thanks, but then he thought twice. He closed his mouth slowly and cast his gaze away.

“Don’t feel as though you have to flatter me,” he said, hoping he sounded convincingly lighthearted enough, though his nerves were increasingly twisting in his stomach. “You can say it’s a bit much.”

That was an understatement. At least from what Owain had heard. They were the exact words Leo had said to him the first time he’d read a copy of Owain’s book.

It had been one of the first drafts, written by hand, Owain’s scrawling penmanship spanning two journals worth of content. Owain had been a bit more in the habit of assuming his readers would pick up on subtle explanations more often than he would have to write explicit explanations back then. Plus, he’d taken to writing notes in the margins of the paper. Those first few drafts had been too confusing for anyone but him to follow, and Leo let him know it.

Of course, Leo had then followed up his “a bit much” comment with a remark about how there was “potential” in the book and how he wanted to help Owain however he could. He’d been Owain’s go-to critic ever since then, ever blunt and honest, and over the past year he and Owain had begun shaping the book into something Owain would almost be proud to present to an agent.

It wasn’t finished yet. It still lacked a title, actually. But it was close.

“It’s certainly unorthodox,” Xander agreed, and Owain’s heart began to settle with disappointment. His friends were supportive, but it was no secret everyone thought his writing was too eccentric for mainstream—or even _most_ —audiences. Niles still teased him about his plots being too weird. It was all in good fun, but it was also true. “I’m not sure I’ve ever read a fiction such as yours.”

“However,” Xander continued, causing Owain to peak up at him out of the corner of his eye. “I like it. Neither the content nor the writing is of the traditional fantasy, and what traditional elements do exist you seem to turn on their heads. I quite like the change of pace. It’s very… Owain.”

Other people had declared Owain’s fiction or fantasies “very _you_ ” before, but none had used the same tone Xander did now. Owain’s eyes had drifted over to the lopsided snowman Elise had built under a tree in anticipation of imminent disappointment, but now Xander had his full attention.

Xander looked back, unwavering.

“Seriously?” Owain said. Xander wasn’t one to lie, but it almost felt like he couldn’t believe his ears. Nobody had ever complimented his work without some kind of caveat attached. His mother was supportive, but even she admitted to having trouble following the plot some days. “It’s not finished, you know. I’m still editing it. I gave that draft to Leo a few days ago, but I have an even more updated version on my computer, plus alternative drafts. With different dialogue and… stuff.”

He hesitated to offer more. The moment felt almost like a test. For once, words failed him.

“And I would be honored if you allowed me to read them,” Xander said. He sounded like he meant it.

A switch flipped in Owain’s brain, and it felt as though everything changed in an instant. The air was lighter, his heart pounded, and the sun shone off Xander’s hair like a halo. It was suddenly as though he were thirteen all over again.

“You’re too kind,” Owain said and he meant it, but he also couldn’t stop smiling. His voice picked up speed. “If you’re really interested, then I can—”

He caught himself. Hesitated. Owain licked his chapped lower lip, and when Xander peered at him curiously, he had already rethought what he was going to say.

“Later,” Owain said He ignored the way Xander’s eyebrows rose. “After dinner. You can see the other drafts then, if you wanted.”

Xander’s smile was lopsided and cute. “I would like that.”

Owain mentally cheered. His inner self was whooping with joy.

He was still brimming with excitement, wanting to immediately jump into explanation after explanation of the world of Ylisse and the lore he’d had to cut from the later drafts and what did Xander think about all the characters, anyway? He actually had to bite down on his tongue for a moment to hold himself back.

Because if they went inside for Owain’s computer now, something would distract them. Elise would ask where Xander had gone or Inigo would grab Owain’s arm with a joke prepared or they’d all be called to the table. Going inside now would also mean leaving the snowy front yard and the fresh, cool air behind.

Owain didn’t want this moment to end just yet.

“When did you even find the time to read all that anyway?” he asked. “I thought you’d be collapsing onto your bed every night, what with the way your siblings have been saying you’ve overworked yourself lately.”

“A lot of my time is spent working, yes, but I _do_ have some downtime occasionally.” Xander shifted his weight. They were facing each other by now, and this time Owain didn’t think he was imagining the heat radiating from Xander’s chest. “Often I have trouble sleeping at night. Some light reading before bed often helps.”

Owain flashed his teeth as his smile grew. “Now I know you’re teasing me.”

Xander raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh?”

“I’ve heard a lot of things,” Owain said. “but nobody has ever described my book as _light_.”

It was a thick manuscript. Even single-spaced, it was over five hundred pages thick. And wordy, as Leo had told him time and again. They had cut a _lot_ of pages between now and the first drafts. Leo had told him to save that content for later.

“Perhaps not,” Xander admitted. “But I enjoyed it nonetheless. I had some trouble putting it down by the time I did begin to tire.”

Another compliment. Xander was going to kill him at this rate.

“And that’s what made you take that trip down memory lane earlier?” Owain guessed. “Because you read my book?”

It was a bit of a jump, but something told Owain he hit the nail on the head.

“Perceptive,” Xander said, sounding approving. “Yes, that was partly the reason. It was partly… other things.”

Owain’s face twisted with confusion. ‘ _Other things_.’ That was uncharacteristically vague for Xander.

“And partly because of that mention of last year?” Owain wasn’t sure that guess was correct, but he didn’t know what else it could have been.

“Well, yes, and…”

Xander closed his mouth. His eyes flickered to the ground.

Owain gaped.

Xander, who always stood tall and proud and full of conviction, didn’t meet Owain’s eyes for a moment. The tips of his ears were dusted a light pink, and for some reason Owain didn’t think it was from the cold. He held himself stiffly. His hesitation spoke volumes, but Owain wasn’t fluent in the language.

The sudden change in Xander’s body language was so unusual that Owain almost couldn’t process what his brain was telling him. If he absolutely had to make a guess, he would have said Xander looked… _bashful_.

Owain would have never described Xander as anything of the kind before. But he couldn’t deny what his eyes were telling him.

His lips parted in surprise, and he blinked again, thinking what he was seeing would change. It didn’t. All of Owain’s senses felt like they were in overdrive. The small breath Xander took sounded sharp Owain’s ears.

Then Xander’s eyes came back up to meet his. Any look of nervousness he’d held before melted away in an instant.

Xander spoke, and time seemed to slow to a crawl.

“I was thinking,” he said. “about the first time we met because I had been thinking about you.”

Owain’s mouth had gone dry.

“Why?” he asked, unsure if he would hear Xander’s answer over the pounding in his ears.

In response, Xander took a step forward. They were close. Owain had to crane his neck up sharply to look him in the eye. He was afraid to breathe. Xander had at least a head on him in height.

“Do you remember when you visited the canyon with us a few summers ago?” Xander asked instead of giving a direct answer. “You and Niles insisted on lathering Leo in sunscreen lest he burn. In the end, you forgot to use any protection yourself and ended up with a terrible sunburn. You looked like you had been painted red.”

“What about it?” Owain said, both hopeful and unsure of where this was going.

“What about that time I fell down those stairs? I was terribly embarrassed,” Xander admitted. “and the doctors were not even sure I had a concussion. I had only gone to the hospital as a precaution. Camilla was already with me, but her phone battery had died while she had been talking to Leo. None of you had a car, but you burst through the waiting room doors as I was being discharged, looking like you and Niles and Leo had run the whole way.” A gently curling lock of hair rested just above Xander’s eyebrow. Owain couldn’t tears his eyes away from it. “And then you three admitted that you _had_ run the whole way, which nobody could believe. And right after Leo asked how I was, you told me Corrin was already picking Elise up from school, so I shouldn’t worry.”

“Well, yeah,” Owain said plainly, because he knew that would have been one of the first things Xander would be worrying about.

“I was grateful for that, as well as having family who cared about me so. But you weren’t my family. You didn’t have to.”

That comment made Owain frown. “I’d like to think I’m close enough to your family that such consideration wasn’t a surprise.”

That hospital visit had taken place a few years ago, when Owain had still been in high school, but he didn’t think any of his actions had been out of line.

Xander shook his head. “My apologies. I must admit to having some trouble phrasing what I want to say, so I appreciate you bearing with me. That wasn’t what I meant. What I mean is…” He hesitated. “Last summer, you and Niles coaxed Leo into a swim and I came home during my break to find you all in the pool—"

“Xander, I enjoy a trip down memory lane as much as anyone, but I’m not sure what the point is that you’re trying to make.” The cold was beginning to set into Owain’s bones.

Owain jumped as Xander laid a hand on his shoulder. Xander’s hands were broad and warm.

“You looked good,” he said. “In your swimsuit.”

Part of him had seen this moment coming. The rest of him, unprepared, was left stammering.

“You looked good with your sunburn too,” Xander said, voice soft. He squeezed Owain’s shoulder gently. “And I was grateful to have you there when you thought I was injured and grateful with your forethought to call Corrin when nobody else thought to do so.”

Owain, who had fantasized about this scenario only in his most unrealistic daydreams, had imagined the circumstances surrounding Xander’s confession to involve romantic fireworks or brave stunts or even some portal to a far-off dimension. He had never truly believed a confession would ever actually occur.

Now, in reality, he was at a loss for words.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Xander said. “And while I know you likely consider Leo to be the closer friend, I hope I have made my fondness for you quite clear. I’m not sure I always have.”

“I had resolved never to say anything,” he continued, a tone of finality in his voice. “But this year, while you were at college and I found myself working another long, quiet night at the office… I missed you.”

Owain bit the inside of his cheek and discreetly winced at the pain. No, he wasn’t dreaming. Xander was really, truly confessing to him. He wondered if the stars in his eyes were visible.

“I missed you,” Xander said again, even quieter this time. His eyelashes were long. “I wondered if you had missed me too.”

Xander was confessing to him, he realized. He was confessing, and Owain had stood there like a frozen lump and said practically nothing the entire time.

Like an engine that had suddenly roared to life, Owain leapt into action.

He grabbed Xander’s free hand between his own and clutched it in front of him. He met Xander’s eye, determined, hoping the earnestness of his emotions shone through his expression. Xander’s hand was warm between his own, despite the cold.

Their gazes locked. It felt just as intense as Owain had always imagined the climax of his novel, the final clash between the grim dragon and the time traveling warrior princess, to be. The same rush of adrenalin flowed through his veins as hers.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few fresh snowflakes fall from the sky. He cleared his throat.

“Ever since that fated day where I mistook you for a prince,” he began. “A certain feeling had been gathering in my soul. I—”

Xander took his hand away from Owain’s shoulder to lay it on top of Owain’s own so they were clutching each other’s hands.

“As much as I would like to listen to your speech, I’m afraid I hear Elise calling my name from inside the house and I do not want anyone to interrupt this moment before it is over,” Xander said. When Owain strained to listen, he could hear her too.

So Owain quickly said, “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since we were kids, and a few years ago I probably would have cut off my right arm for you to look at me twice.”

The speech he’d been making up on the spot probably would have been better. He hoped that wasn’t too much.

When Xander stared, he considered it might have been.

Then Xander laughed, and some of the tension that had gathered in Owain’s chest abruptly faded.

“You’ve never ceased to surprise me,” Xander said. With a smile, he gently rubbed Owain’s hands between his own to warm them. Owain’s breath hitched. The stars in his eyes grew larger. “I’m quite relieved to hear you feel that way. If I might confess something more...” His eyes followed the trail from Owain’s arms up to his face. “I felt the same then too.”

Owain’s heart teetered on the edge of bursting. He grinned back. “What a pair we make.”

Elise’ voice was growing louder within the house, but neither of them moved. Xander looked perhaps the happiest Owain had ever seen him, and he was thrilled with the knowledge that _he_ was the source of that happiness.

“I tried to hide how I felt because I thought you weren’t interested,” Xander said. He was slowly leaning closer, and Owain pushed himself up on the balls of his feet to meet him halfway. “But I learned recently that having you home when you’ve been gone for so long is more than I can take.”

“I thought you saw me as your brother’s loud friend,” Owain whispered. Their faces were very close.

“Not often,” Xander teased. Owain’s face threatened to split from the force of his smile.

Their lips met. Owain released Xander’s hands to curl his fingers around Xander’s broad shoulders instead. The jacket under his fingertips felt soft. He considered tangling his hands in Xander’s hair, but dim memory that they were in a public place—on Xander’s front porch, for all his neighbors to see—kept Owain from doing more.

Xander’s lips were smooth and tasted vaguely of cherries, as though he’d applied lip balm only a few minutes ago. He kissed Owain softly, leisurely. The nerves dancing under Owain’s skin made him want to pick up the pace, but he struggled to match Xander’s steady tempo instead. He focused on different senses to keep himself grounded: Xander’s breath on his face, the soft cotton under his palm, the hum of pleasure that inadvertently tore itself from Owains’ throat and the sharp intake of breath Xander took in response to the sound.

Perhaps Xander could sense his eagerness, however, because he raised his hand to cup Owain’s jaw, his thumb brushing the space under Owain’s eye. When Xander pulled away, he made a detour to place a kiss in that same spot before straightening up.

It struck Owain that Xander may have been a romantic. Owain considered the fact he might melt.

“Does this mean I can call you while I’m away school now?” he asked absentmindedly. It was something he had always wanted to do. Most of his brain was too preoccupied with the memory of how Xander’s lips had felt on his own to really process what he was saying.

Xander huffed with laugher, pressing his forehead against Owain’s own. “I would ask nothing less.”

The front door flew open. Elise poked her head through the doorway, her face lightening up as she spotted them.

“Xander! You ran off! We’re about to—”

That must have been the moment Elise registered what she was seeing, Owain thought, because her mouth dropped into an ‘O’ shape. Her eyes grew large enough to rival an owl’s.

It occurred to Owain that this wasn’t the best way to reveal he and Xander had just confessed their feelings to one another, nor was it the best time. He moved to pull away from Xander’s grasp, but Xander caught Owain’s hands between his own again. They shared a look Owain couldn’t quite determine the meaning of, but when Xander squeezed his hands, his confidence grew.

Inigo, oblivious, came up behind Elise. “Are they out here, Elise?”

He looked up. When he caught sight of them holding hands, his mouth fell open the same way Elise’s had. If he hadn’t known better, Owain would have assumed they had rehearsed it.

Elise shook herself out of her surprise first, quite literally. Her long pigtails flew this way and that as she shook her head back and forth. Inigo, shy as he pretended not to be, began to blush.

“Whoops!” Elise said loudly. “You guys are playing alone out here. We won’t bother you! Come on, Inigo, let’s tell everyone else not to wait.”

She shot them an exaggerated wink and grabbed Inigo’s arm to drag him away; Owain wanted both to laugh and to shove his face in his hands. If he’d had time to consider any concerns the others might hold, it would have now been clear that Elise would not be a source of disapproval.

Xander and Owain both opened their mouths to say something—Owain felt he was supposed to speak more than he actually knew what he was going to say—but before either of them could say anything, Niles leaned through the door Elise had failed to close behind her.

“Oh, ho,” Niles breathed, eyeing them both. “What’s this? A secret romance blooming right underneath our noses?” He smirked. “Well, secret for _some_ of us. The more perceptive of us actually have eyes in our heads.”

“Niles,” Xander said flatly. Reprimands like that only encouraged Niles more and he clearly didn’t mean anything by it, so Owain squeezed Xander’s hand and rolled his eyes.

Leo’s disembodied arm appeared from around the corner and snagged Niles by the collar, dragging him out of sight. Owain heard Leo mutter something unintelligible and Niles snicker in response. Neither sounded particularly surprised.

So apparently Niles had suspected Owain’s feelings for a while, judging from his pointed comments. Owain was quite happy with the teasing, actually. It meant Niles approved. He idly wondered if Niles had been able to read Xander’s feelings so easily as well and made a mental note to ask later.

Likewise, either Leo had also known all along or he’d figured it out along the way. Truth be told, even if he’d been oblivious—which Owain now doubted—Niles would have told him anyway. Those two withheld no secrets from one another. But if Leo had a problem with Owain being in love with—or now at the very least kissing, though Owain hoped for more—his brother, he would have said so sooner. Instead he’d dragged Niles off to give Owain and Xander some privacy.

There had been a reason Owain had never spoken about his feelings to anyone besides his parents before, but now it was obvious he’d never had a cause for concern. Owain loved his friends.

His stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the mood. They’d been standing out on the porch for quite a while. He over to Xander and shrugged. “I suppose there’s no use waiting then. Between Niles and Elise, I don’t think there’s any cause for secrecy.”

Which was nice because Owain wasn’t sure if he’d wanted to be secretive in the first place. To his benefit, Xander seemed to agree.

“Let’s go eat diner, shall we?” Xander suggested. “And then, when things wind down a bit, we can talk some more. In private,” he added, just in case Owain had missed his meaning. He nodded towards the door, smiling softly. “After you.”

So Owain smiled back and pulled Xander in after him.

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone wondering, "Odin Dark" is probably the pseudonym Owain uses when he publishes his book. 
> 
> In his supports with Sakura, Xander admits to having trouble talking with people and being shy. He practices that and mostly gets over it by the time we see him in Fates, but I like to imagine the self-assured prince still has moments where he gets nervous speaking to others. Like when working up the courage to confess his feelings to his younger brother's friend. So that's why Xander has that moment of surprising nervousness. Then he gets over it.
> 
> In FE13, in his S-Support with Severa, Owain says something along the lines of being willing to cut off his arm just to stand next to her for a while. Then he gets worried that what he's said was too much. I really liked that uncharacteristic bluntness when put under pressure (he was trying to reassure Severa while she was crying at the time). I wanted to keep his poetic, over the top dialogue while also keeping things a little more modern/blunt (due to the time crunch at the end there, as well as the time period they live in), so I hope you guys don't mind. I was trying new things all around with this fic. I got a little wordier than normal when writing this fic as well, which I chalk up to Owain's influence. His manner of speech ends up a little more in the narration than in his actual dialogue, but I hope it still works. 
> 
> Leo/Xander/Camilla/Elise' last name is Nohr because I'm not clever and I didn't think Owain would refer to it as "Leo's house" all the time when so many other people he knew lived there, OTL.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below or hit me up on my [tumblr!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/)


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